Dumping-wagon.



WITNESSES,

PATENTED APR. 25, 1905. D. S. WATSON.

DUMPING WAGON.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 22, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

eATIORNEY No. 788,002. PATENTED APR. 25, 1905.

D. S. WATSON.

DUMPING WAGON.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 22. 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

W/TNESSE g INVENTOR,

Patented April 25, 1905.

UNITED STATES PATE T FFICE.

DAVID S. \VATSON, OF O.-\N. \SlOlA, NFAV YOhK, ASSIGNOR TO \VATSON WAGON COMPANY, OF OANASTOTA, NElV YORK, A CORPORATION OF N E \V YOR li.

DUIVIPING-WAGON.

SPECIFICATION f rming part of Letters Patent No. 788,002, elated April 25, 1905.

Application tiled August 22,1904. Serial No. 221,798.

Be it known that l, DAVID S. ll'x'rsox, of Uanastota, in the county of Madison, in the State of NewYork, have invented new and useful Improvements in l)u1m -\Vagons, of which the following, taken in connection with the accoi'npanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in dnmpwagons, and refers more particularly to the means for controlling the operation of the swinging bottom doors. In this class of wagons the doors are hinged to swing laterally and to meet at substantially the longitudinal center of the box, and the operation is controlled by the transverse rotary drums and chains at the front and rear ends of the doors. The front drum is rotated manually by a suitable lever, pawl, and ratchet, and this motion is transmitted to the rear drum through the medium of a s 'irocket-chain in operative connection with sprockets on the front and rear drums at one side of the box. It is found that this sprocket-chain stretches more or less by continued use and that considerable trouble is experienced by teamsters by reason of the accumulation of small stones, frozen mud, and other foreign matter which lodges in the openings of the links and is caught between the chain and wheel, thereby frequently throwing the chain from such wheel or unduly straining the parts.

One of the objects of my present invention, therefore, is to cause the lower part of the chain to ride upon a suitable toothed idler so that the teeth enter the openings in the links from the under side, thereby dislodging any foreign matter which may be carried on the chain before it reaches the drivingsprocket.

Another object is to make this idler adjustable vertically, so that the slack or stretch of the chain may be readily taken up when desired.

A further object is to simplify the locking and releasing mechanism for the winding (10- vice and to render it more efficient and less laborious in action, but essentially to reduce the wear upon the ratchet-wheel and holdingpawl.

Other objects and uses will appear in the following description.

In the drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of a dump-box embodying the features of my invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 2 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged side view of the winding, locking, and releasing mechanisms, omitting the rear drum and its sprocket. Figs. a, 5, 6, and T are sectional views taken, respectively, on lines a L, 5 5, 6 6, and T T, Fig.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

The dump-box is, as usual, substantially rectangular and comprises front and rear ends 1 and 2, sides 3, and bottom doors 4 and l, which latter are hinged at 5 to the lower edges of the sides and when closed meet at substantially the longitudinal center of the box. The front and rear ends of these doors are connected by separate chains 6 to superimposed transverse drums T and 8, which are journaled in suitable bearings on the front and rear ends, respectively, of the box. Both of these drums extend through and beyond the same side of the box, and their outer ends are provided with sprockets 9 and ll), upon which is mounted a link belt or endless chain ll, whereby rotary motion is transmitted from the front to the reardrum for operating the doors.

A ratchet-wheel 12 is secured to the outer end of the front drum or shaft 7, close to the sprocket-wheel 9; but the latter is loose on the drum and is adjustably secured to the ratchet-wheel by suitable bolts 13, so that by loosening these bolts the front sprocket may be rotated independently of the ratchet-wheel or its drum by means of a handle it to take up excessive of the rear ends of the doors. A lever 15 is fulcrumed on the drum and is provided with a pivoted pawl 16, which is caused to engage the tooth of the ratchetwheel as the lever is rocked forwardly, and thereby rotates the front and rear drums to close the doors.

The front drum is held against retrograde movement by a holding-pawl 17, which is pivoted at l8 to a rock-arm l9 and engages the teeth ofthe ratchet-wheel and together with said rock-arm constitutes a toggle-lock to hold the drums from rotation or release by the load on the drums. This rock-arm 19 is secured to and extends downwardly and rearwardly from a rock-shaft 20, which is journaled on the top of the adjacent side of the box and is provided with a second arm 21, extending downwardly and forwardly along the inside of the front extension of this side of the box and has its front end oflset laterally at 22. This arm 21 is comparatively long with reference to the arm .19 and is sufficiently weighted to drop by its own gravity to normally rock the arm 19 rearwardly and force the pawl 17 into holding engagement with the ratchet-wheel.

A lock-lever 23 is pivoted at 24: to a suitable bracket 25 on the front end of the frame below the front end of the arm 21 and has an arm 26, extending upwardly and rearwardly in front of and over the offset 22 and is provided with a locking-shoulder 27, which engages the upper face of said offset to hold the arm 21 in its down position and to thereby, hold the pawl 17 in its holding position. This lever 23 also has a pedal-arm 28 projecting rearwardly from its pivot and in a plane beneath the offset 22 to be engaged by the operator from the seat of the box to throw the shoulder 27 into locking engagement with the said offset. The arm 26 also has a laterallyprojecting arm or handle 29, which may be engaged by the hand or foot to throw the lever 23 into and out of its locking position.

A release-lever 30 is mounted on the same fulcrum 2 as the lever 23 and also has two arms 31 and 32 extending, respectively, above and beneath the arm 21, the arm 31 having a handle 33 on its upper end to be engaged by the hand or foot, and the arm 32 engages the lower face of the arm 21. to rock said arm 21 upwardly when the lever 30 is rocked forwardly, whereby the toggle-lock of the holding-pawl is broken and the holding-pawl is released, thus releasing the winding mechanism and dumping-doors.

The arm 21. is movable in a suitable guide 3 35 on the front extension of the adjacent side of the box and serves to hold the arm 21 in alinement with the locking and releasing levers 23 and 30.

The action of the pawl 17 is similar to that set forth in my Patent No. 6 12,395, January 30, 1900, and therefore it is unnecessary to further illustrate or describe the same, ex cept to say that the spring used in that construction is dispensed with, because itcauses. too much pressure and consequent wear upon the pawl and teeth of the ratchet, while in the present structure this pressure and wear is materially reduced.

I have found it quite impossible with the Winding mechanism formerly employed to prevent the excessive sagging of the rear ends of the bottom doors because a large part of the load in the rear end of the box is borne directly by the sprocket-chain, and therefore causes said chain to continually stretch, which allows the rear ends of the doors to open sufficient to permit the material to sift through. Furthermore, I have experienced considerable difficulty from the accumulation or lodging of stones, frozen mud, and other foreign matter, as a, on the lower part of the chain,which would be carried under the front sprocket during the release of the dumping-doors and would frequently throw the chain from the sprockets or unduly strain or break the operating parts. In my present structure I have practically overcome these difiiculties by mounting a toothed idler 36 upon a suitable support 37, which in turn is adjustable vertically upon a bracket 38 on the side of the box and is held in its adjusted position by an adjusting-screw 39. This idler is located at the rear of, but close to the front sprocketwheel, and rides in a bifurcated yoke, which serves to brush any foreign matter from the lower part of the chain as it is dislodged by the teeth of the idler from the openings in the links of said chain during the release of the doors. It is now seen that the idler serves the double purpose of removing foreign matter from the lower part of the chain on the release of the dumping bottom doors and also serves as a means by which the slack of the chain may be taken up to prevent the sagging of the rear ends of said doors.

The release-lever 31 is provided with an ex-- tension 40, which engages an abutment 41 and constitutes a limiting-stop for the release-lever and also limits the downward movement of the arm 21.

The operation of my invention is believed to be apparent from the foregoing description and accompanying drawings, and it is obvious that the detail construction and arrangement of the parts may be somewhat varied without departing from the spirit of this invention. Therefore I do not limit myself to the details shown and described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a dump-wagon, the combination with a dump-box having laterally-swinging bottom doors, drums at the opposite ends of the doors, chains connecting the drums to the adjacent ends of the doors. a link belt connected to transmit motion from one drum to the other, means for rotating one of the drums, and a toothed element riding in the links of the belt to expel stones and foreign matter from the in (s.

2. The combination with the d umping-doors of a dump-wagon and means to control the operation of said doors including a chain, of a rotary toothed idler having its teeth entering the links of the chain to expel foreign matter therefrom.

3. In a dump-wagon, the combination with two rotary horizontal drums and a link belt connected to transmit motion from one drum to the other, of a toothed member entering the links of the part of the chain below the axes of the drums to expel foreign matter from said links.

l. The combination with the bottom doors of a dump-wagon, of front and rear drums connected to raise and lower the doors, means to rotate the front drum, a link belt-connected to transmit rotary motion from the front to the rear drum, and a rotary toothed idler having its teeth projecting through the links from the under side of the lower part of the chain near the front drum to expel foreign matter from said links.

in a dump-wagon, a dump-box having swinging bottom doors, front and rear drums connected to said doors, means to rotate the front drum, a link belt connected to transmit rotary motion from the front to the rear drum, and a toothed idler adjustably mounted on the box and engaged with the belt to take up the slack and at the same time to remove foreign matter from the links of the belt.

6. in a dump-wagon, a dump-box having swinging bottom doors, front and rear drums connected to said doors, means to rotate the front drum, a link belt connected to transmit rotary motion from the front to the rear drum, a guide on the box at the rear of the front drum, a bracket vertically adjustable on the guide, means to adjust and to hold the bracket, and a toothed idler on the bracket engaging the links of the belt to take up the slack and remove foreign matter from the belt.

7. In a dump-wagon, a dump-box having swinging bottom doors, a pawl and ratchet operatively connected to operate the doors, a pivoted holding-pawl and a rocking support therefor, a weighted arm connected to rock the support, a locking-lever for said arm and a second lever operatively connected to rock the weighted arm to trip the holding-pawl.

8. A rock-shaft having a rearwardly-extending arm and a f0rwardly-extending arm, a holding-pawl pivoted to the rearwardly-extending arm to engage and hold the ratchetwheel in its adjusted position, a locking member for the forwardly-projecting arm, and a pedal operatively connected to elevate the forwardlyprojecting arm to trip the holdingpawl.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand on this 2d day of August, 190 t.

DAVl l) S. "ATSON- \Vitnesses:

ALBERT A. KicusLun, EARLE C. BROWN. 

